What if Lewis Carroll, Salvador Dali, Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and George Romero ran a Beatles History Fan Club and Hunter S. Thompson kept the minutes from each meeting? Would it be that hard for Alan Goldsher to steal those minutes and seamlessly piece them together?

Hmm…I wonder, because PAUL IS UNDEAD full of that kind of bawdy brilliance.

But fear not, PAUL IS UNDEAD is not mere frippery. The personalities, the events, they mythos of the Beatles are still here, meticulously catalogued. Goldsher has simply taken the authorized history of the Fab Four and coated it with a thick varnish of blood and brains.

The book chronicles the band’s rise to the Toppermost of the Poppermost all the way from the Liverpool days to the to the maniac massacre at Shea Stadium to the Battle Royale with Yoko in the Abbey Road Studios. The reader need not understand the intricacies of Beatles lore to enjoy the narrative, but knowing Beatles’ fans will wink at Goldsher’s insider jests. Indeed, there are plenty of honest moments, wrapped in jaw-dropping tomfoolery.

Yes, for the connoisseur of both the Beatles and fresh brains, PAUL IS UNDEAD is just the dish.

There was only one thing I could do to ease the pain. I turned to the only four guys who’d never let me down. The only four guys who’d never broken my heart .

John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

Yep, you had me right there, Ms. Eulberg.

2. Contemporary Realism? Who, me?

Let’s face it. I usually prefer to throw realism out the window when it comes to YA novels. Give me a dash of magic and a smokin’ hot supernatural love interest any day of the week.

But Eulberg’s book sucked me into a 100% vampire/angel/werewolf/fae/zombie/prophecy free world. And I loved it. The characters could have easily been teens I know facing real life obstacles.

3. Sweet premise, savory resolution.

When Penny Lane gets her heart broken one too many times, she decides to swear off guys for good. She and her friends start The Lonely Hearts Club to affirm the bonds of friendship and the vow of self-preservation. These gals grow into a force to be reckoned with–they come to redefine themselves sans boyfriends.

But…when a non-jerk works his way into Penny’s heart, is the club doomed?

The author resolves the plot without tying things up with a giant valentine bow. The ending is satisfying without becoming too sweet or too simple. It’s just right. And thanks to a pitch perfect protagonist voice, I found myself thinking about Penny long after I’d turned the last page.

I’m so excited about this book, I’m giving a copy away. In the comments area for this post, use at least one Beatles’ reference to convince me why I should send YOU a copy of THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB. I’ll pick a winner next week.

in·te·ri·or

1. being within; inside of anything; internal; inner; further toward a center: the interior rooms of a house.

Even when writing in third person, interiority forges a connection between the reader and a character. Allowing the protagonist to interpret events makes a story stronger.

2. of or pertaining to that which is within; inside: an interior view.

Even in an action scene, don’t rely only on external markers, such as gestures. Don’t just tell the reader the protagonist “shrugged,” “smiled,” etc. Clue the reader into the protagonist’s thoughts as they move through the story.

3.private or hidden; inner: interior negotiations of the council.

Interiority = insight. Filtering conflict, action and characterization through the mind’s eye of a character also makes the experience seem more real and compelling. You can also deepen characterization and tension through interiority.

4.pertaining to the mind or soul; mental or spiritual: the interior life.

Interiority makes us care about the story, its characters, and its world. A distant narrative is usually…well, distant. And that’s not usually what you want for your story, right?

Example

Without Interiority:

Al picked up the bat and swung at the Camaro’s windshield. After smashing up the front end of the car, he walked away.

With Interiority:

Al picked up the bat and swung at the Camaro’s windshield. Big tough guy, huh? Did this loser really think he could slap around Al’s kid sister and get away with it? After smashing up the front end of the car, Al walked away.

Pop’s old Louisville Slugger sure came in handy.

Now, my examples aren’t the best in the world, but you get the picture, right?

Now go out there and amp up interiority in your novel!

Hungry for more?

Try this recipe for Rolo Cookies. They’re chocolate on the outside and full of yummy caramel on the inside, erm, interior.